would probably have the same result as that which attended an
imitation of Latimer by a country minister, mentioned by Fuller.
'I remember,' he says, 'in my time (about the middle of the
seventeenth century), a country minister preached at St Mary's,
from Rom. xii. 3,--"As God has DEALT to every man the measure of
faith." In a fond imitation of Latimer's sermon he followed up
the metaphor of DEALING,--that men should PLAY ABOVE-BOARD, that
is, avoid all dissembling,--should not POCKET CARDS, but improve
their gifts and graces,--should FOLLOW SUIT, that is, wear the
surplice, &c.,-- all which produced nothing but laughter in the
audience. Thus the same actions by several persons at several
times are made not the same actions, yea, differenced from
commendable discretion to ridiculous absurdity. And thus he will
make but bad music who hath the instruments and fiddlesticks, but
none of the "resin" of Latimer.'

The habit of card-playing must have been much confirmed and
extended by the marriage of Philip of Spain with our Queen Mary,
whose numerous and splendid retinue could not but bring with them
that passionate love of cards which prevailed in the Spanish
court.

It seems also probable that the cards then used (whatever they
might have been before) were of Spanish form and figure, in
compliment to the imperious Philip; since even to this day the
names of two Spanish suits are retained on English cards, though
without any reference to their present figure. Thus, we call one
suit spades, from the Spanish espada, 'sword,' although we retain
no similitude of the sword in the figure,--and another clubs, in
Spanish, bastos, but without regard to the figure also.